Recent Developments In Nanostructured Materials Research Articles

Recent Developments in Nanostructured Materials for Supercapacitor Electrodes

This review focuses on nanostructures-based systems and aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in energy storage technologies and modified energy storage materials. The transition towards a sustainable and carbon-free energy system hinges on the progress of efficient and safe energy storage technologies. Supercapacitors have garnered significant interest in diverse energy storage applications due to their rapid charge/discharge rates, high power density, and extended cycle life. Nanostructures have conclusively demonstrated their capability to significantly enhance supercapacitor electrodes' performance. MXene, an innovative category of 2D materials, has emerged as a promising candidate for energy storage applications due to its substantial surface area, exceptional electrical conductivity, and versatile characteristics. Supercapacitors, nanostructures, and MXene are the main topics of the research articles and reviews in this special issue, highlighting recent developments in the design, synthesis, and characterization of advanced energy storage materials and devices. Additionally, this study presents an in-depth investigation of various carbon-based nanomaterials, their synthesis techniques, and their performance in supercapacitors. It also emphasizes the potential of recycling waste materials for developing high-performance nanomaterials for energy storage applications. Finally, this review encourages further research and development of advanced energy storage technologies by giving readers a thorough overview of the current state-of-the-art and future directions in this rapidly expanding sector.

Modeling size-dependent thermoelastic energy dissipation of graphene nanoresonators using nonlocal elasticity theory

Recent developments in nanostructured materials have led to the use of graphene sheets as resonators in advanced micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. An important feature of micro- and nanoresonators is their ability to function with low power dissipation. The main intrinsic mechanism of energy loss in these advanced devices is thermoelastic damping (TED). In this article, we study TED effects in orthotropic graphene sheets of varied lengths operating at different temperatures using nonlocal elasticity theory. For this purpose, the fundamental thermoelastic relations are used to develop a system of coupled partial differential equations to describe the behavior of graphene nanoresonators. The orthotropic mechanical and thermal properties of graphene were taken into account in our model for zigzag and armchair chiralities operating at different temperatures. The free in-plane vibration of the graphene nanoresonator is analyzed using Galerkin method. Decidedly, we show that the developed system of equations is capable of describing the TED behavior of graphene nanoresonators along the two considered chiralities during thermoelastic vibration. Specifically, we examined the influence of size, chirality, and temperature upon thermoelastic damping, as measured by the so-called quality factor, of the graphene nanoresonator. Our results reveal that the nanoresonator experiences higher energy dissipation with increased temperature. They also reveal the dependence of the energy dissipation upon the size and chirality of the graphene sheet.

Applications of Nanostructured Materials as Additives in Space Fluid Lubricants

With an extended service life expectancy of space crafts, fluid lubricants attracted intense interests of the fields of tribology, due to their long life under EDH conditions, higher thermal conductance, lower frictional and torque noise, and rapid processing compared to the solid lubricants. However, there are still some disadvantages of fluid lubricants, such as finite vapor pressure, narrow range of operating temperature, degradation of some oils, viscosity temperature-dependence and so on. So far, there have existed some space fluid lubricants, such as PFPE, MAC, PAO and mineral oil based lubricants. It seems that there will be a challenge for a new type of fluid lubricants to come out without any limits above. Recent arisen nanostructured materials assisted in improvement of the research of space fluid lubricants, and the results indicated that some nanostructured materials exactly promoted the tribological properties of fluid lubricants. This paper reviewed recent development of nanostructured materials as additives in space fluid lubricants.

Recent developments in nanostructured materials for high-performance thermoelectrics

This highlight discusses recent trends in the search for new high-efficiency thermoelectric materials. Thermoelectric materials offer considerable attractions in the pursuit of a more efficient use of existing energy resources, as they may be used to construct power-generation devices that allow useful electrical power to be extracted from otherwise waste heat. Here, we focus on the significant enhancements in thermoelectric performance that have been achieved through nanostructuring. The principal factor behind the improved performance appears to be increased phonon scattering at interfaces. This results in a substantial reduction in the lattice contribution to thermal conductivity, a low value of which is a key requirement for improved thermoelectric performance.

Cover Picture: Recent Developments in Nanostructured Materials (Adv. Eng. Mater. 11/2005)

The cover shows transmission electron micrographs of typical microstructures in as-deposited copper samples. More about recent developments in nanostructured materials research can be found in the review paper by C. Suryanarayana on page 983. Nanostructured materials with extremely fine grain sizes, typically less than 100 nm, have been shown to exhibit extremely high strength and hardness, increased diffusivity, useful sintering characteristics, and other unusual properties. Significant developments have taken place in recent years in trying to achieve high strength and ductility at the same time. New and potential applications are also being sought after. Several commercial ventures have also started (estimated to be around 1000 in different parts of the world). This overview will present the recent developments in our understanding of the mechanical behavior and molecular dynamics simulation studies, highlight the present unresolved issues, and discuss some of the promising applications for these novel and exciting materials.

Recent Developments in Nanostructured Materials

AbstractNanostructured materials with extremely fine grain sizes, typically less than 100 nm, have been shown to exhibit extremely high strength and hardness, increased diffusivity, useful sintering characteristics, and other unusual properties. Significant developments have taken place in recent years in trying to achieve high strength and ductility at the same time. New and potential applications are also being sought after. Several commercial ventures have also started (estimated to be around 1000 in different parts of the world). This overview will present the recent developments in our understanding of the mechanical behavior and molecular dynamics simulation studies, highlight the present unresolved issues, and discuss some of the promising applications for these novel and exciting materials.